It seems like everyone gets sick during the first few weeks
of school. All those teachers and students are comin’ together after a nice
summer of picking up who-knows-what-kindsa germs, so catching a cold is pretty
much unavoidable. Or is it? Use these six tricks to avoid taking a sick day
when you haven’t even gotten sick of school yet.

Back to Basics

Everyone knows that you’re supposed to wash your hands after
you use the bathroom, right? Unfortunately, not everyone seems to follow that
rule. And what’s worse is that very few people use soap when washing their
hands – eep! So no matter how little time you have, make sure you’re washing
with warm water and soap every time you leave the bathroom.

Wash Well From the
Inside Out

If you’re stayin’ hydrated, you have less chance of getting
sick. Drinking lots of water will help your bod flush out any toxins, so make
sure you’re gettin’ in those eight glasses each day. And if it makes you stop
off at the bathroom a li’l more, then you just get more chances to wash your
hands!

Be a (Little) Selfish

Sure, sharing is nice and all, but not when it involves
germs (which it almost always does). Food, makeup and even pens can get you
into trouble, so it’s best to keep that stuff to yourself. Unless you’re gonna
hurt someone’s feelings, try to avoid lending your stuff out. And make sure you
always bring enough so that you’re not asking to borrow other people’s things
either.

Beware the Hot Spots

There are certain places in a school where germs just love
hangin’ out. Specifically, water fountains and lunch trays. So if ya can, use
your own water bottle. And don’t eat stuff directly off your tray if you can
help it. Try to wash your hands after touching things lots of other kids
probably handled, like doorknobs and desktops.

Time Saver

So you don’t have time to run to the bathroom between every
class to wash your hands – that’s totally okay. Just stick a little container
of hand sanitizer in your purse so you can fight off the worst of the germies.

Healthy Munchies

If ya want your bod to stay healthy, you’ve gotta give it a
li’l extra help with foods that’ll boost your immune system. Yogurt, for
example, will up your white blood cell count to fight the flu. And the best way
to avoid the common cold is to increase your vitamin C intake. Vitamin C is
found in lots of fruits and veggies, like kiwi, strawberries, leafy greens, red
bell peppers, and citrus fruits. Orange
juice, anyone?

So babes, how do you
stay healthy when a bug is goin’ around your school?